ries, white and black smiths, and ivory workers, are there busily engaged. The road terminates about three miles out, at a place called the GrandPass bazaar. The broad, full river, called the Kalani Ganga, flows by this place, over which a substantial bridge of boats is thrown, to join the former avenue to the grand mail road to Kandy.

There is a short road from the opposite side of the bridge, made through a dense jungle of Indian trees and vines, to a place not far within, which presents a prospect that embodies nearly all that is peculiar or attractive in the scenery of Ceylon. The observer stands just outside a copse of orange, cinnamon, and gooseberry trees, beneath a canopy of Areka* palms, and thence looks forth over an immense prairie of waving paddy, wherein, near the centre, is a splendid wide-spreading banyan tree, standing entirely alone. The prairie is bordered like a lake with forest trees, and backed by an amphitheatre of hills.

About seven miles beyond the bridge of boats, on the way to Kandy, there is a Wihare, or Budhist temple, in the shape of a bell, where the chief priest, presiding in 270 B. C., was put to the severe ordeal, then practised there, of being boiled in oil. The temple itself as a specimen of Budhistic taste might be an object of curiosity to one who could not visit Kandy; but it is generally recommended to all who have two or three days to spare in Ceylon, to go directly to this ancient capital of the island, which was long the nursery of Singalese kings, and the holy repository of that most sacred relic, the tooth of Budha himself. To this

*This tree produces the large astringent nut, often miscalled Betel, which is used throughout the east as a masticatory, with the Betel pepper leaf and chunam.

CITY OF KANDY.

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shrine, it is said, more pilgrims have resorted than were ever registered at Jerusalem, as searchers for the cross of Christ, or, even more than their rival devotees at Mecca.

There is a post coach established, as good as any in England, that starts from the rest-house in Colombo, every second morning, at the tap of the reveillé, and completes the journey to Kandy, of seventy-two miles, in less than twelve hours; and returns regularly the next day. The road is macadamized throughout; and, although it has been made with a debris of scienite and basaltic scoria, which is easily impaired, it is, in general, a delightful road; and, by a succession of gentle elevations in the course of the journey, raises the traveller sixteen hundred feet, into a region of comparatively bracing salubrity and highland beauty. The city of Kandy must be very delightfully situated, if we may judge by descriptions of it, and the several paintings which we saw at Colombo. We had no time to visit the place, nor the enshrined impress of Budha's foot, which was made on Adam's Peak, when he stepped over to Burmah. Kandy is said to be, and it so appears on canvass, quite surrounded by verdant hills, in a deep hollow, which it shares with a pretty lake and stream. The gorgeous bathing castle of the old Kandy kings floats in the lake the palace stands on the border; and a modern bridge crosses the stream to a cluster of handsome dwellings.

At Colombo there was no rest for our officers, from the incessant round of festivities prepared for them. They must attend a breakfast, and a shooting match, or some sport on shore, every morning. On these occasions, our chief marksman, the valiant and noble-hearted purser of the

John Adams, figured with distinction to himself and his country. In person, stately and erect, he stands duly proportioned to a height of six feet et; and, being one of the very best rifle-shots in the American service, he performed a few surpassing hits, to the astonishment and admiration of the English officers-although he waggishly surmised for himself, that he had made a decided failure, and lost his credit. These sports occupied our officers daily, till one or two o'clock; then they must tiffin, and ride, and dine, and sup, with this, and that, and other messes, in happiest fellowship,

"Draining the goblet, and singing their songs," until the festive joys stole far into the hours of sleep.

We were thus feasted for days in succession, until our officers were nearly surfeited with the generous hospitalities into which they were allured. I regret that I must here add, with much shame for those concerned, that there were invitations sent to the Columbia, for all the officers, which the members of the wardroom chose to understand, were intended for themselves only; and it was afterwards asked by the English officers, in what manner they should address a general note of invitation, so to include the junior officers, assistant surgeons, and civilians. A similar instance of illiberal exclusiveness was effected by our wardroom mess, at Bombay; and to the same source, I may attribute the unbecoming neglect of a distinguished Brahmin, who visited the Columbia. This was no less than Ball Gungadhur, Shastree, the son of Narain-row, the last paishwah,

*"Shastree" is an appendage like the English L. L. D,

THE SNAKE CHARMER.

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or, chief of the Mahrattas, not long since murdered by an uncle, Rogonain, who usurped the throne under the protection of the English. This learned learned ex-heir to a throne, whose name appears on every patron list, for the improvement of his countrymen, came to the ship in the garb of his rank and nation, and was introduced as a distinguished person; but because he wore no stars, nor signs of European nobility, he was left to be knocked about as he might, till the civilians, who knew him on shore, noticed his situation. I am inclined to believe, however, that these incivilities with which I have charged the wardroom mess, in reality emanated only from two or three members, with whom the others would not interfere; and I believe that the officers of the John Adams, or those in the service generally, would be as indignant as ourselves at such ungenerous and uncivil arrogance.

The civilian and junior officers of the Columbia, were thus in a degree, shut out from the gayeties of the city, but they were not the less profitably engaged in visiting the vicinity of Colombo, and enjoying the good cheer and comforts of the resthouse. One day after many rejections, we were persuaded to witness the magic art of a snake charmer. He threw his soul into smiles, when he gained our consent, bowed and salamed with the expressive courtesy of an Italian. He cleared a space in the piazza, and there placed his three flat baskets, and seated himself, a la Turque, before them. A tom-tom player then commenced a simple rythm, while the charmer opened the baskets, whence as many spotted, hissing, hooded cobras, darted up in end a foot or more above their close coils, and seemed to listen to the notes which they heard, as

they turned their heads one way and the other. The music stopped, and the charmer became the tormenter, moving his turban before them, and pushing the baskets, till they were ready to strike their fangs into any thing, and darted here and there in vain till they tried to escape; but as often as they attempted it, they were pulled back hastily by the tail. Again the tom-tom was sounded, and a kind of lute, chimed in with the voice of the charmer, in

wild, lulling strain, and the snakes were still again. The jetty locks of the charmer hung over his shoulders, his eyes dilated widely, and were fixed upon the snakes, while he waved his body before them, in graceful attitudes, and motioned with his turban in both hands, to the measure of the music. The notes of the lute softened with the melodies of the charmer's voice, while he slowly leaned forward and first touched his tongue to that of the largest reptile, and his nose, and then threw himself back with exultant pride. Then pointing to the pupil of his eye, he leaned toward the snake again, and let its vibrating tongue touch lightly the iris of that most delicate organ. The music quickened, and once more the charmer became the tormentera chicken was given to him from the rest-house, which being struck by the large snake twice or thrice, died in eight minutes. left the group as the charmer commenced his wonderful tricks of legerdemain. These snake charmers, called in India, sampoori, pretend to extract a kind of stone, or concretion, from the cobra's head, which not only deprives the snake of its poison, but supplies an antidote to their venom. The beautiful species, called the cobra capella, alone, it is said, "wears the precious jewel in its head," but many of them are annually caught,

We